This site's purpose is to help Carmel High School students study for the AP Music Theory Exam. Tests, resources, and supplementary materials will be posted here. Reference the master guide for the lesson plan, and the YouTube channel for helpful videos.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Tonality in Context (Key Signature Practice)
Here is some extra practice for identifying key signatures by listening to a song and using a piano for reference. Below are pop songs in chronological order, from the birth of pop to modern pop. Remember that the chorus of the song often contains scale degrees 1, 3, and 5. Also remember that many songs start on the typical 5—1 progression. The piano is linked here.
Answer 1: A Major. This one should be pretty easy, as the first few notes of the song are a arpeggio. Also, the low "bum" at 0:07 is a 5—1. At 0:46, it changes to D major. Answer 2: Eb Major. It may be tempting to say Ab Major, but this is a twelve-bar blues song—it is common to modulate to the fourth. It could also be tempting to say Eb minor because he sings a Gb most of the time. Again, remember this is 50s, so use the blues scale. The major blues scale is used a lot in the 50s, which has a minor third in there for dissonance—this minor third does not actually make the song minor, however. Lastly, the little motif in the beginning (D—Eb) should help in the identification of the key. Answer 3: Bb Major. The key can be identified within the first few seconds as the guitar plays a small variation on the blues scale. Berry sings a lot of Fs, the fifth in Bb Major. Answer 4: A minor or C Major. The chorus starts in A minor, but most of the song is in C Major. The very first note ("Stop!")
is an A. "Think it o-over" ends on a C. Answer 5: A Major. Many of the words are either A, B, or C#. Also, at 0:11, there is an E7 resolving to A Major, a good example of a 5—1. Answer 6: C Major. When Billy Joel sings "makin' love - to his tonic and gin" at 0:42, he ends on a C. It's a temporary close to the phrase, indicating that the song is in C Major. Answer 7: G Major. The introduction is in D Major, but it transitions to G Major around 0:36. At 0:42, the guitar lands on a G, really solidifying the key of G. The vocals that come in shortly after focus on G as well. Answer 8: F Major. At 0:39, the song settles into F Major. The song continues to modulate (C minor, Eb Major, D minor, F minor), but the chorus is in F Major. It starts on an F ("We"). Answer 9: E Major. Most of the words are either on E, G#, or B. On "anywhere" (0:29), Steve Perry ends the phrase on an E. Answer 10: D Major. The chorus starts at 0:34. "Jessie's Girl" ends on a D, and the D Major chord underneath it supports it. Answer 11: C minor. The easily recognizable guitar motif at the beginning goes from C to Bb back to C. It powerfully sets the song in C minor. Answer 12: F# Major. The chorus ends on an F# at 0:41. Answer 13: C Major. The first few lyrics ("jitterbug") repeat on a C. George Michael ends the first sentences of the chorus on a C (0:38, 0:41, 0:44). Answer 14: C minor. The first 10 seconds of the song (the chorus without accompaniment) reveal the key. It ends on a minor third, going from Eb to C. Answer 15: D Major. The song starts on a D Major chord and continues to resolve back to it, except when it modulates to Eb Major at 3:07. Answer 16: F Major. At 0:46, the introduction resolves to F Major. That's when Steve Tyler also sings "Janie," which begins on an F and goes to an A natural. Parts of the song are also in F minor. Answer 17: F minor. The chorus continually goes back to F minor. The guitar underneath could also be used to identify the key signature. Answer 18: Eb Major. This one is tricky! At 0:36, the piano resolves to Ab Major, but this doesn't last for long. At 0:41, the piano travels down to Eb and stays in Eb Major. Occasionally, it does go back to Ab, but it's primarily in Eb. Answer 19: E Major. Right as the vocals come in, the accompaniment resolves to E Major. Celine Dion also lands on an E. Answer 20: Ab minor. The orchestra hit at the beginning (0:23) and the bass that occur throughout the song solidify the key of Ab minor. Also, the chorus makes its way through the Ab minor scale. Answer 21: E minor. Every time she sings "fallin'" there is an E minor triad underneath. Answer 22: Db Major. The vocals start at 0:35, where Ushers descends from an F to a Db. Answer 23: C Major. This scale can be exemplified in a descending line from A to C at 0:32. Answer 24: G Major. "This has nothin' to do with you" ends on a G at 1:18 Answer 25: D Major. When the vocals come in at 0:16, Taylor Swift hovers around D. Answer 26: C minor. Because the song continually resolves to C at the beginning, this song's key should not be too difficult to identify. Answer 27: B minor. The chorus—"shine bright like a diamond"—is just a B and an F#. There are B minor chords in the background, which lets you know that it's B minor, not B Major. Answer 28: Gb Major. Many of the lyrics focus around Eb minor, but the synth in the background sets the song in Gb Major. Answer 29: C# minor. "-dy" of "body" at 1:04 is a C#. Ed Sheeran sings many F#s, but he always resolves this to an E or a G#
(both are part of the C# minor triad). Answer 30: Db Major. Of course I had to include this one... Anyway, the chorus ends on a Db ("desert you" at 0:49).
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